Author: M Barbu

From Criminality to Insurgency: The Convergence of Bandits and Jihadists in Nigeria’s Northwest

Security in northwestern Nigeria is deteriorating, with an estimated 30,000 bandits operating in loosely organized groups that have evolved from resource disputes into actors capable of mass abductions and high-casualty attacks.

Zamfara State is the epicenter of violence, where armed groups exploit gold, copper, and lithium deposits to fund operations and sustain arsenals through trafficking routes and raids on state armories.

Iraqi Militias Come Under Pressure to Demobilize

Bottom Line Up Front

  • Amid major setbacks for Iran and its Axis of Resistance, Iraq’s political leaders are trying to gain firm control over militias that are duly constituted forces but act outside the national chain of command.
  • An armed clash at a government building between security forces and militia commanders in late July reflected their pushback against efforts to constrain their autonomy.
  • Clashes and other forms of competition involving the militias will likely expand and intensify as the November 11 national elections approach.
  • The outcome of Iraq’s debate over the militias might shape whether the country can integrate more closely into the Arab world and reduce Iranian influence in the country.

Veton Nurkollari: It would be a shame to compromise

Veton Nurkollari, or xhaxhi (uncle), as he is affectionately called by many, is resolute about the activist spirit of Dokufest. An international documentary and short film festival he co-founded 24 years ago in Prizren, at a time when the city had no functioning cinema in the aftermath of the Kosovo war, Dokufest has emerged as one of the most important film festivals in southeastern Europe, having become a qualifying-festival for the BAFTAs and the European Film Academy.

The Lithuanian Language Chief Let Slip What He Really Thinks About The Polish Minority

Although he soon thereafter half-heartedly walked back his threat to close Polish schools, his words reminded Lithuania’s largest minority that existing discriminatory practices against them could always intensify, which in turn draws attention to the scenario of identity-driven conflict in the future.

There was a brief scandal in Polish-Lithuanian relations last month that barely generated any media attention outside of those two. Chairman of the Lithuanian State Language Inspectorate Audrius Valotka declared that “there should be no Polish and Russian schools at all. Why do we have to create and maintain all sorts of language ghettos in Šalčininkai?” This prompted a condemnation from the Polish charge d’affaires in Vilnius and Valotka half-heartedly walking back his comments in a Facebook post.

‘He didn’t plan to overthrow Putin’

Two years ago tomorrow, on August 23, 2023, a private plane crashed outside Moscow, killing three crew members and seven passengers, including Wagner Group private military company founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. Two months prior, Prigozhin had led a brief mutiny against Russia’s military that captivated the world and culminated in an aborted march on Moscow itself. Ahead of the anniversary of Prigozhin’s death — which U.S. intelligence reportedly assessed as a deliberate assassination — the St. Petersburg news outlet Fontanka interviewed the late mercenary leader’s mother, Violetta Prigozhina. She recently organized a gallery exhibition in honor of her son.

‘I wanted to save her from herself’

Growing up in Chechnya in the 1990s and early 2000s, Lana Estemirova knew that her mother, renowned human rights activist Natalia Estemirova, had a very important job. She often went to work with Natalia at the Memorial human rights group’s Grozny office, and overheard her conversations about the abuses sweeping the republic amid the Chechen Wars. Then, when Lana was 15 years old, her mother was kidnapped outside their apartment block and brutally murdered. In her new memoir, “Please Live: The Chechen Wars, My Mother and Me,” Lana tells the story of her childhood, and how her mother’s unwavering dedication to her work not only shaped their relationship but ultimately led to her death. Meduza spoke to Lana Estemirova about commemorating her mother’s life and work, how Ramzan Kadyrov’s iron grip on power in Chechnya continues to destroy lives, and how she’s come to terms with the risks that come with fighting for the truth.

EXCLUSIVE: After Fatal Car Crash, Ukrainian Tycoon Dyminskyy Secured Greek Residency and Serbian Citizenship

Petro Dyminskyy, who was named a suspect at the time of a fatal car collision, is still wanted by Ukrainian authorities. The investigation has been suspended while his current whereabouts remain unknown.

Eight years ago, a Mercedes Benz crashed into another car on a highway in western Ukraine, killing a 31-year-old woman. Photos captured the Ukrainian tycoon Petro Dyminskyy at the scene of the accident, though it was not confirmed if he had been the driver. Four days later, he reportedly left the country on a private jet.

Les racines profondes de la géopolitique actuelle

La Chine, la Russie et l’Iran : quel est leur dénominateur commun ? De toute évidence, ce sont les principaux rivaux géopolitiques des États-Unis aujourd’hui. Comme l’a récemment écrit Ross Douthat dans un article d’opinion publié dans le New York Times, intitulé «Qui est en train de gagner la guerre mondiale ?», «il est utile pour les Américains de réfléchir à notre situation en termes globaux, avec la Russie, l’Iran et la Chine comme une alliance révisionniste qui met notre puissance impériale à l’épreuve».

Turkey’s Neo-Ottoman Moment

Turkey’s Syria policy didn’t materialize in a vacuum. Rather, it was a reaction to the Arab uprisings that began in January 2011, known as the Arab Spring, which Turkish policymakers interpreted as a providential opportunity.

‘Straight off Iranian production lines’

Back in 2023, reports began to surface that Iran was sending weapons to Russia across the Caspian Sea for use in the war against Ukraine. Both Tehran and Moscow have continued to deny these claims, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissing them as “invented falsehoods.” Yet transport data obtained by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) and analyzed by Meduza indicates that Iran may have supplied Russia with more than 4,000 metric tons of ammunition in a single month last year. Meduza shares evidence that Moscow is, in fact, buying weapons from Iran.